WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—The closets, cabinetry and millwork industry faces a unique set of growing pains, often rooted in the leadership styles that founded many businesses. At the upcoming Closets Conference & Expo, to be held June 30 to July 2 at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, Claudia Duffield, Principal and Business Consultant, Casa Bossanova, will address these hurdles head-on in her session, "The Biggest Management Mistakes We See in K&B & Closet Companies."

Duffield said that the primary barrier to growth is often the owner’s inability to step back from daily operations. "Most owners are too busy putting out fires to notice they're the ones starting them," Duffield noted. To transition from reactive to proactive leadership, she suggests a simple diagnostic: "What decisions still can't happen without you? Build a list. That's your leadership development roadmap."

In family-run enterprises, Duffield identified a specific "management blind spot" that often stunts long-term scalability: prioritizing loyalty over accountability.

"The people who built the business with you aren't always the right people to scale it — and avoiding that conversation is the most expensive mistake I see. It costs culture, performance, and the next generation of leadership."

Actionable strategies for Monday morning

While management theory can often feel abstract, Duffield’s session is designed for immediate application. She emphasized that the common pitfalls within the kitchen, bath, and closet markets are both predictable and fixable.

"This isn't about theory — I've made most of them myself," Duffield said. "Attendees will leave with frameworks they can use the following Monday, not someday."

The workshop will offer attendees a roadmap to professionalize their management structures and prepare their companies for sustainable growth.

To learn more and register, visit closetscon.com.